All the five regular teams participated in the South Zone of the Ranji Trophy, 1972-73. The teams were representing the Southern region of India in the tournament and the teams included the likes of Andhra, Hyderabad, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Mysore. Though all the teams tried very hard to become one of the top two teams in the zone and to secure a birth in the knock out level of the tournament, only the teams like Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad could do so from the zone.

The South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1972-73 started with the match between the teams of Andhra and Hyderabad at Guntur from 21-22 October, 1972. The match saw the Hyderabad team playing extremely well and earning 9 points from it, by winning it with a margin of an innings and 122 runs. The second match of the South Zone involved the teams like Andhra and Kerala and the teams played the match at Kurnool from 227-29 October, 1972. As the match was drawn during the stipulated duration, the match officials awarded both the teams 3 points each, for the match. The Kerala team appeared in the next match of the zone also and this time, it played against the Hyderabad team at Kothagudem from 03-05 November, 1972. The Hyderabad team once again played well in this match and defeated the Kerala team by 10 wickets for earning 8 points from the match.

The match between the teams of Mysore and Andhra was the fourth of the South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1972-73 and the match took place at Mysore from 04-05 November, 1972. Playing very well in the match, the Mysore team won by an innings and 166 runs and also earned 9 points from it. The Mysore team then played against the Kerala team at Kottayam from 11-12 November, 1972. The Mysore team played very well in this match also and clinched a huge victory of an innings and 100 runs for earning 9 points from the match. The next match saw the Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu teams playing against each other at Hyderabad from 11-13 November, 1972. There was no winner in the match and the Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu teams earned 5 and 3 points, respectively from the match.

There was a huge clash between the teams of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the next match of the South Zone that was held at Trivandrum from 01-02 December, 1972. The Tamil Nadu team thrashed the Kerala team by a huge margin of an innings and 105 runs and also earned 9 points from the match. The next match saw a battle between the teams of Mysore and Hyderabad at Bangalore from 01-03 December 1972 and the match was drawn during the specified duration. The Hyderabad and Mysore teams earned 5 and 3 points, respectively from the match. The Mysore team appeared in the next match also and this time, it played against the Tamil Nadu at Madras from 23-25 February 1973. The Tamil Nadu team won the match with a margin of 148 runs and earned 8 points from it. The last of the South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1972-73 was played between the teams of Tamil Nadu and Andhra at Madras from 03-04 December, 1972, where the Tamil Nadu team won by an innings and 105 runs. The team earned 9 points from the match, as well.